Lifesharing announces 2023 Rose Parade Float honorees
Lifesharing is proud to announce San Diego Fire-Rescue Capt. Robin Cervantes as its 2023 Rose Parade Honoree. The late Capt. Cervantes became an organ donor in 2019 after Lifesharing found matching recipients for his heart, liver, and kidneys.
His floral portrait will be featured on the Donate Life Rose Parade Float, along with the portraits of organ and tissue donors from across the country.
Meanwhile, Donate Life California has chosen Lifesharing volunteer (and recent Mt. Miguel High School graduate) Xavier McLeod as their designated rider on the float. McLeod received a kidney transplant as a child — he is living proof of the power of organ donation.
Both Lifesharing and Donate Life California are proud sponsors of the 2023 Donate Life Rose Parade Float, “Lifting Each Other Up.” The float celebrates the special bond between donor families and transplant recipients.
Lifesharing honors organ and tissue donors for Día de los Muertos 2022
Every year, Lifesharing’s Family Services team organizes a special tribute to organ and tissue donors for Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Our team builds an ofrenda (altar) and displays the photos of recent donors who have given the gift of life.
Preparations for this event start weeks in advance, with team members creating traditional sugar skulls (from scratch) and ordering fresh marigolds in keeping with the traditions of the holiday.
Each sugar skull is then decorated by a Lifesharing team member with the goal of creating a beautiful work of art that tells the story of the donor’s life.
Jeff Trageser named Executive Director of Lifesharing
Lifesharing is proud to announce Jeff Trageser as its new leader. Trageser will officially assume the role of executive director on October 16th, 2022, having guided Lifesharing for nearly a year as interim leader. Trageser has maintained Lifesharing’s status as a top-tier organ procurement organization (OPO) and both its organ and tissue teams are projected to see a record number of donors by the end of this year.
“I’m excited to build on the strong foundation of success and innovation here at Lifesharing,” said newly named Executive Director Jeff Trageser. “We have a talented group that has made an amazing difference in the lives of donor families and transplant recipients.”
Trageser joined Lifesharing in 2005. At the time, he was working as an ICU nurse in one of the busiest intensive care units in the city. Impressed by his ability to diffuse tension and handle emergencies, Lifesharing recruited Trageser to work as an organ procurement coordinator (OPC).
Trageser’s work ethic and clinical acumen eventually propelled him into the role of Lifesharing clinical services director, where he oversaw the medical team. And when longtime Lifesharing leader Lisa Stocks retired in 2021, Trageser rose to the challenge as interim director.
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Lifesharing is proud to sponsor the 2022 Donate Life Transplant Games in San Diego
July 29 – August 3rd at the Convention Center and various locations throughout the city
Billed as “the world’s largest celebration of life,” the Transplant Games bring together thousands of transplant recipients for a week of athletic and recreational competitions. There are 37 teams from across the country taking part, along with three international teams from Brazil, Colombia, and Australia.
On Saturday, July 30, there will be a parade at 9 a.m. in downtown San Diego to officially kick off the games. The parade route starts near the County Administration Building and ends near the San Diego Convention Center. The public is welcome to watch the parade in person or remotely — it will be streamed live on www.CBS8.com.
As a sponsor of the games, Lifesharing will have a booth at the Transplant Games of America’s Village — located at the San Diego Convention Center in Hall AB. Lifesharing is also leading the efforts to create a tribute event during the games to honor organ and tissue donors.
Lifesharing wins a regional Emmy and three “Finest Awards” for films and PR campaigns promoting organ donation
Lifesharing’s films and public relations efforts have garnered four prestigious awards this year.
On June 18, 2022, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences held its 48th Annual Emmy Awards program in Palm Springs, California. Lifesharing was nominated in two categories: “Video Essay” and “Editor — Short Form Content.” Competing against filmmakers and photographers from Southern California and Las Vegas, Lifesharing Public Relations Director Anne State picked up an Emmy for her editing work, taking home a statuette in the short form content category.
Lifesharing was also a triple-winner at the “Finest Awards,” hosted by the Health Care Communicators of Southern California. On May 6, 2022, Lifesharing received a Gold award and two Silvers.
Public Relations Director Anne State received Gold for a video news release she created to celebrate the start of Donate Life Month. She also received two Silver awards in the categories of Media Relations and Multicultural PR Campaigns — the latter of which she shares with Lifesharing Family Services Manager Wendy Garrison.
Garrison’s team created a beautiful tribute to organ and tissue donors during Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).
The videos below were part of our award-winning entries:
Jaclyn (“Jackie”) Russe is Lifesharing’s “Nurse of the Year” and UC San Diego Health’s Nurse Consultant award winner. The accolades were announced during Nurses Week, which runs from May 6–12, 2022.
In her position as a Lifesharing organ procurement coordinator, Jackie travels to hospitals throughout San Diego and Imperial counties. When a patient’s life cannot be saved, it’s Jackie’s job to try and save their organs. She uses her critical care skills to keep organs viable for transplant while she searches for the best recipient match on the transplant waiting list. Jackie has saved countless lives by finding new homes for donated organs such as hearts, lungs, kidneys, and livers.
Jackie builds strong bonds with the families of our organ donor heroes — and she works tirelessly to ensure their loved ones live on through donation. Every year, she honors our donors during Día de los Muertos.
Jackie has also made numerous clinical contributions to Lifesharing, which have helped us set back-to-back records for organ donations over the last several years. She spearheaded a project that increased the number of liver transplants by 22%, and she is currently studying ways to increase heart donations, too. Because when you increase the number of organs that are donated — you increase the number of lives that can be saved.
On a personal note, Jackie is a mother of four and a veteran of the U.S. Navy. She served in Afghanistan, tending to wounded warriors on the battlefield. Jackie was motivated to enlist after witnessing the tragic events of September 11, 2001 — and the story of her deployment was recently featured on ABC 10News on the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
Jackie continues to embody the core values of the Navy: honor, courage, and commitment. We are incredibly proud to call her a Lifesharing nurse.
Honoring our Organ and Tissue Donors for Día de Muertos
10 News Report: Lifesharing Nurse and Navy vet Jaclyn Russe on How 9/11 Changed Her Life
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Lifesharing sees record number of organ donors in 2021
Despite the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lifesharing saw a record 146 organ donors last year. Thanks to these heroes, Lifesharing was able to save 413 lives through organ donation.
To illustrate the magnitude of this, Lifesharing placed 413 roses in its memorial garden — one for each life saved in 2021.
Lifesharing also carried out tissue donations for 405 selfless individuals last year. A single tissue donor can help dozens of people: heart valves can give life, skin can heal burn victims, and corneas can give sight.
The milestones achieved in 2021 were made possible by the generosity of San Diegans, the perseverance of Lifesharing’s team, and the cooperation of numerous hospital and professional partners.
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Donate Life Float named “Most Extraordinary” in the Rose Parade
A float honoring organ and tissue donors has won the Extraordinaire Award from the Tournament of Roses. Lifesharing was a proud sponsor of the 2022 Donate Life Rose Parade Float, which featured the floral portraits of 35 organ and tissue donors, including Robert (“Robby”) Barksdale, Jr.
Barksdale was a San Diego sailor who saved five lives when Lifesharing carried out his organ donation in 2018. Several of the sailor’s family members made the journey to Pasadena to cheer the float as it carried his image down Colorado Boulevard.
This year’s float was called “Courage to Hope,” and its design was inspired by the majestic winged lion of St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy. The float celebrated the courage of organ donors and their families.
San Diego sailor to represent Lifesharing on the Donate Life Rose Parade Float
Lifesharing has chosen organ donor Robert (“Robby”) Barksdale, Jr., as its Rose Parade Honoree for 2022. His floral portrait will be featured on the Donate Life Float, which pays tribute to organ and tissue donors from around the country.
Barksdale, Jr., was a brilliant, charismatic, and generous young man who served as a Damage Controlman in the U.S. Navy. Assigned to USS Bunker Hill, he was based in San Diego at the time of his death in 2018. He suffered fatal injuries as the result of a motorcycle accident, and his family made the courageous decision to donate his organs.
Lifesharing found matching recipients for his heart, kidneys, lungs, liver, and pancreas. Barksdale, Jr., saved five lives as an organ donor hero.
Lifesharing is a proud sponsor of Courage to Hope, the 2022 Donate Life Rose Parade Float. Featuring the winged lion of St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy, the float celebrates the courage of organ donors and their families.
2022 Donate Life Float
Robby’s family displays the floral portrait they created for him. Left to right: godfather Kevin Brooks, mother Shanteé Broussard and father Robert Barksdale, Sr.
Robby’s family decorating the 2022 Donate Life Float
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Día de los Muertos 2021
Every year, Lifesharing creates a beautiful ofrenda (altar) to honor its recent heroes. Celebrated on November 1 and 2, Día de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday where it’s believed that the spirits of our deceased loved ones return to earth.
Lifesharing team members spend hours creating traditional sugar skulls for each donor — personalizing them in unique and beautiful ways. In this photo, Lifesharing organ procurement coordinator Jaclyn Russe, RN, creates a sugar skull in honor of organ donor Sara Michelle Herrera.
Honoring our Organ and Tissue Donors for Día de Muertos
